Best Practices Amaury Murgado
Teamwork Minus the B.S. Learn and acknowledge the differences between being an organization, a team, and using teamwork.
W
e live in an age of political correctness where saying er. At one point he stopped me, and in his best infomercial the right things seems to have more value than doing voice said, “You sure like using ‘I’ a lot. You know, there is the right things. People use catch phrases to draw attention no ‘I’ in team.” I couldn’t hold back a smile as I started to to themselves and make them seem wise and caring. A good change channels. I reminded him, “There is no ‘U’ in team example of this is when managers falsely refer to an organiza- either…because ‘U’ weren’t around to help!” I explained that tion as a team and promote teamwork as a guiding principle. when someone does something by himself, the use of the It’s been my experience that people use the word “team” in- word ‘I’ is not only correct, but more than appropriate. correctly and that managers just pay lip service to teamwork. These types bring out an infomercial response in me. As Tribal Myth and Posers soon as they open their mouths and start talking in catch There are many managers that read books on team buildphrases, I want to change channels. Who hasn’t dealt with ing, attend courses that improve their leadership skills, and a phony that’s used iconic phrases like “There is no ‘I’ in practice what they preach. There are others, however, that team,” or “T.E.A.M. stands for Together don’t; instead, they take shortcuts by Everyone Achieves More?” One of my using tribal myth. They say things that favorite lines is “Teamwork is the fuel they hear other managers, supervisors, that allows common people to attain or instructors say. They occasionally uncommon results.” What exactly throw out a catch phrase at a meeting does “common people” mean? Am I to sound impressive. They perpetuate left to believe that I’m a diamond in the what they have heard before underrough or just plain rough? standing it and checking its validity. A Don’t get me wrong; motivational good example of this is when you hear sayings and acronyms can be great someone say it takes 5,000 repetitions tools in the hands of sincere people. to make something second nature. In In the hands of a phony, however, all reality, it only takes around 300; it takes that’s created is discord. I get amused 5,000 repetitions to break a bad habit. when someone joins the phrase of A poser typically uses tribal myth the month club just to sound like she the most. A poser is someone who acts knows what she’s talking about. There a certain way to impress others. It’s Teamwork developed between sworn are managers that routinely espouse easy to spot a poser because he will say and volunteer organizations makes a the virtues of teamwork but wouldn’t one thing but do another. Take for inhuge difference. know the true meaning of the word if stance a watch commander who gives it hit them in the face. a wonderful speech during roll call about the importance One of my favorite examples of this occurred during the of teamwork. But what usually happens next? The watch Y2K scare. All forms of government, big and small, were commander goes to breakfast and is never seen again by preparing for the possibility of an infrastructure meltdown; his troops; so much for his teamwork message. Teamwork all except for the agency that I was working for at the time. principles aren’t supposed to be selective; they’re meant to The sheriff back then thought it was nonsense and a waste be inclusive. of time. Luckily, the patrol captain thought better of it and convinced the sheriff to let us go forward with a contingency Definitions plan I developed. Though I was approved to go forward, I re- In his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Patrick Lenceived very little help and was often left to my own devices cioni defines a team as being “a relatively small number of to get things done. people…that shares common goals as well as rewards and Years later I was talking about Y2K with a fellow co-work- responsibilities for achieving them.” If we accept this defi-
14
POLICE March 2012
For more Best Practices go to www.PoliceMag.com/bestpractices